Students' respect grows for potato industry
Sally Nicholas/courtesy photoCurtis Spaulding watches as Randy Johnson shows off his potato mobile during class at Longview Elementary School in Moses Lake.
MOSES LAKE - Students at Longview Elementary learned about Grant County's importance to the potato industry.
Sally Nicholas taught her second-grade class about potatoes while Moses Lake hosted the state potato conference at the Grant County Fairgrounds Feb. 5 through Feb. 7.
Students were surprised that people were here from throughout the United States.
"Wow, they came here to learn about potatoes?" asked Kimberly Kultgen.
The other students were excited to know that it wasn't just about eating potatoes but about how to grow better potatoes, the equipment used to harvest them, the ground, the fertilizers, and more.
"We're not just a desert - we're awesome potato processors," Lucas Rhodes said.
Nicholas' students were surprised to learned about some nutritional potato trivia.
"Are you sure the potato is about 80 percent water and 20 percent solids?" asked Caylynne Didericksen, "Because it sure tastes a lot better than a mouthful of water!"
Student Ashley Aldridge chimed in.
"An 8 oz. potato is only 150 calories . . . that's good, right? If so, I want one every night," she said.
Nicholas said the lesson made students more aware of the role of agriculture in the community.
Joshua Jesse Jr. said he loves mashed potatoes the best, and will have more appreciation for our local farmers the next time he eats a big bowlful.
"A lot of them walked away with a sense of appreciation for the farmers in the town and also more pride about Grant County," Nicholas said.